I entered my baby, my time and hard work, my manuscript, into RWA's Golden Heart Contest yesterday. It was like sending off my child to college, though I wouldn't know what that's like. At least not yet. But that's how I imagine it would be.
Did I make it strong enough to survive first cuts?
Did I give it enough tools and depth to flow through the rounds to final judging?
I think I did. But I'm just a proud parent, aren't I?
There's something very personal about writing. You pour your heart into it. You ignore the chores another day, you let your refrigerator grumble from hunger pains, and you put every ounce of brainpower into creating this work. It consumes your thoughts. Everything you see, hear, read, could be twisted to fit into your story.
So to let a part of me go out into the world is just...scary. But I sent it off. Double, triple checked the package to make sure I was sending it to the right place. I paid the postage and the mail lady took three months worth of work to the back bins.
Now, what's left you ask now that my nest is empty? I wait for judging score sheets to come out in March. Until then I query the hell out of my book and hopefully catch an agent who wants to buy it.
I'll keep my fingers and toes crossed for good scores and hope my baby takes off to new heights!
